Summer course of Belen Maya, version 2011

Ok... It's time I'll finally tell how was this course of Belén Maya.
Looks like those things become easier and more fun for me with time. NOT that I say that the first time she came, or the time Farruquito came weren't fun, but.... Although looks like I still can't do it nice and clean to the end. A week and half before it started I got a virus. It made me many pains in my feet and hands. I hardly could walk in the start and had 2 "lovely" days in a hospital. I was affraid I won't be able to dance. I got healthy and got to dance, but I still have some signs on my hands and feet. I feel ugly and felt this way all the course. At least my feet were under a cover in the difficault parts.

This time Belén gave more than one course and it took almost a week of a flamenco festival. One course of bata de cola for 3 days. The same week - later those evening and another 2 evenings - "regular" courses in two levels. I took the bata and the course of medium level. It all took a part in Tel Aviv, very close to my house and the cinemateque. Before it started I heard from few girls it's the best studio in Israel. Ok, it isn't too bad, but only in Tel Aviv I can tell about at least 2 better studios, one of them is the one I go to learn from Neta Shezaf every week

On the first day we got into a very small sudio. The class started. Some girls were late. The guitarist did late too. There is another professional dancer who came late, started to change her clothes near the door, started to talk when her shirt off... THan the guitarist came and looked pretty surprise to see a woman half naked near him who don't give a damn. I won't tell names for not hurting anyone. Few minutes after we started we have been moved to another studio in that building. A very big studio, but the floor isn't too good. It fit more for sport classes at school than dancing flamenco. Someone who's responsible there checked the shoes of some girls because of the poor floor. Than I noticed that one of the girls looks like someone I know and couldn't tell who she is. Took me half of the class to understand that she's a facebook friend of mine and a professinal dancer. She thinks she's the best, but from seeing her videos I think she isn't bery good. Only in the day after I started to really talk with her. She took the bata and advansed classes. In the class of the bata we learned to dance alegrias with the bata

We had a little brake. I used it to talk a bit with some girls I know and sending sms. I was happy cause I felt that I got thinner. My bata de cola started to get bigger on me and I pulled it up many times in the class.

The second class was of bulerias. It was fun. I love this palo. Again - I already learned it in the classes of Neta, but it's another dancer, another teacher and a bit more information I didn't know before. I got back home really tierd. After 3 hours includes inside a bata, after finnishing with antibiotics....

On the second day I had a bit more of weird things. One of the girls who came only for the bata have buissness of flamenco clothes she design and she brings some more flameco stuff from Spain. She had a primsion to sell it in the course time. She did on the second and the last days of the whole course. I knew she will come with it and I knew about a skirt model I thought of buying from her. It was very close I will buy a green skirt, but I saw this model also in blue that day. As far as I love more blue - I took to try the blue. I loved and took it. Than this woman showed me a fitting bolero for that. It took me some time, but I decided I like it too, but not before I asked Neta and one of the women I know from learning with in Neta's studio. The only problem I didn't have enough money and was own her till the last day. Neta had to tell it's great to see me in another color accept black. Well, I love both colors, so I don't mind to change a bit. While I was talking with the woman I bought the skirt from - I felt a gentle touch on my shoulder. It was a  woman I couldn't reconize. She said "hi". I answered. Than she asked me "You are Orna, right?" I said "Yes". She said she sees me on facebook all the time. Than she told me who she is, but lots of noise... I didn't hear what's her name. I know! I'm horrible! I didn't want to hurt her that I don't reconize and don't understand her, so I just said something like cool. It drove me crazy who she is till the end of the course. Only after that it was all over I got it: she's  a professinal dancer who's another facebook friend of mine. Unlike the over facebook friend who think she's a great dancer - she is a great one. I saw her once before (too long ago) live performing with another dancer. I thought theor show was really good and both are tallented dancers, so it makes all bad thing for me I couldn't understand now who she is. She came for the advenced course.

On the third day we moved again. Another studio in the same building. The worst one there. It's near the one we started in, very small, with a big stand in the middle near the mirror and still the floor of the sport class. It was very hard to dance with the batas. We got dancing one on the others. One started to stand on my bata skirt and hardly went down from it. She didn't appologize.

4th day: again in the big studio. The bata class were over, so I had "only" in one class that evening. Looked like many of  the girls had and danced in skirts of the one who sold it in the course. Nothing much more to tell accept it was fun. It became easier. After all - I was still ugly, but the illness was over and so did the infulence of the antibiotics, it was one less class and I already knew what's going on here.

On the last day we were again in the horrible little studio. This time 2-3 people came just to watch. One of them was Ilan Miller. He's also a dancer and he dance (probably also) in the company of Neta. In the end Belén Showed us some videos of hers. Some parts from a show of hers she had recently in Nimés, France. She showed some bulerias, alegrias and few seconds of bata. There were few thechnical problems with the computer and tv in the start, but it was arranged.

Last line: accept of few little problems (like my looks, the small studio of some of the classes...) - it was amazing. In the last day we've been told it looks like most of chances Belén will be back soon to performe in Israel. The times she came till now it was for givving classes, but without perfirming. I hope she will return for that. I really wanna see her dance live....